Topics Related to Come Hear NC

Earl Scruggs and his powerful, groundbreaking banjo style transformed the world of country string band music, helped create bluegrass, and took this style beyond the South into the central strands of American culture.

Billy Strayhorn, Duke Ellington’s longtime collaborator, was among the most influential figures in American jazz. A versatile composer, arranger, and pianist, Strayhorn joined Ellington’s orchestra at age 22 in 1939 and worked with the bandleader the rest of his life.  NC State LIVE co-commissioned David Roussève/REALITY’s latest work, Halfway to Dawn, a jubilant dance-theater piece that celebrates all facets of the jazz composer’s rich and complicated life that will be performed at Stewart Theatre on the campus of NC State on Saturday, March 2.

Before there was Bon Iver or Megafaun, Justin Vernon, Phil Cook, Brad Cook, and Joe Westerlund existed as the folk group DeYarmond Edison. Their short-lived, Raleigh N.C. based tenure gained a cult following, and their 2006 split resulted in a creative micro-burst. The Cook Brothers and Westerlund formed the freak-folk trio Megafaun and Justin Vernon retreated to his home state of Wisconsin to create his now world-famous indie act Bon Iver. 

The following post draws from the traditional artist directory of our partners at the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area.

From the first radio broadcast of musical notes to the childhood homes of internationally celebrated musicians like John Coltrane, many of North Carolina's music landmarks are noted by historical highway markers. We've complied a list of those highway markers below. A playlist featuring musicians honored by those markers can be found at the bottom. 

R.E.M. might be the most successful indie rock band in history, and for many folks they are the first band to come to mind when thinking of Southern college rock. With over 85 million albums sold worldwide, a few Grammys under their belts, and the acclaim of both casual listeners and critics alike, their combination of introspective lyrics, intricate guitar work, and a lively but succinct rhythm section helped define the Athens, Georgia sound of the ‘80s and ‘90s. Though synonymous with the Georgia college town, R.E.M.

Bill Myers’ friends know that “Popeye” Myers, jazz musician and band leader of “The Monitors” for almost sixty years, and William E. Myers, distinguished educator, civic leader and Music Director of St. John A.M.E. Zion Church in Wilson are one and the same.

Bill credits music with bringing his contrasting experiences into a harmonious life story. “Music,” he says, “has that kind of power.”


Bill Myers received a North Carolina Heritage Award in 2014 for his role as both a prolific musician and as an educator. Watch the video commemorating that honor below.

Start off your Saturday with the Brian Horton Trio!

"Easy" - recorded live at La Lanterna in New York City - is the right song to kick-back and enjoy the long weekend to. Read a short biography on Brian Horton from the African American Music Trails of Eastern North Carolina Guidebook below.

As a little girl who grew up playing house in tree forts while also staging living room concerts with a hairbrush as a microphone, I was taught by the world around me that these two paths were mutually exclusive. Later, as I ventured into my twenties majoring in music and pursuing a career in the arts, I was told by a mentor of mine, “You can have it all – you just can’t have it all at once.” Times are changing. Recently, I have worked with several artists who have been able to balance motherhood and a creative career.

The contributions of Black North Carolinians to the music realm spans all genres and could truly be one of those multi-disc collectible box sets that you buy on late-night television (do they still have those?). In fact, during the early 2000’s the NC Arts Council researched and developed the African American Music Trails of Eastern NC, to celebrate the rich musical heritage of African American musicians in North Carolina.